Links for
Teachers
|
|
|
| About KEEP |
Professional
Development |
Resources |
Student
Involvement |
Networking |
Funding Opportunities |
| Teacher Links |
- There are hundreds of Web sites and other Internet resources that can be used for energy education. We've selected a few here. If you know of any others please email energy@uwsp.edu.
- Advanced Technology Environmental Education Center
-
"Advanced Technology Environmental Education Center" provides information on careers, training, & professional development; environmental programs in high schools & colleges; curricula for high school & associate degree programs; & instructional units on 5 topics: water quality, a hazardous materials accident, environmental risk assessment, infectious diseases, & environmental justice. (NSF)
- Airhead
- A tool for cutting down on your personal contributions to pollution. There are emissions calculators can track your personal emissions from month to month. A product search is available to inform consumers to find out which product emit the most and least pollutants.
- Alliance to Save Energy
- The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide. Here you can find energy-related elementary, middle and high school lesson plans and more information for educators.
Alliant Energy provides lesson plans, classroom presentations, activity ideas, and more! Check it out!
- American Coal Foundation
- The American Coal Foundation offers teachers a variety of K-12 classroom materials to support science and social studies curriculum, including brochures, booklets, posters, worksheets, videos, and CD-ROMs.
- B.C. Hydro
- Focuses on safety, energy and the environment, and energy efficiency. Educational Resources for the Classroom contain lots of curriculum materials for K-12, separated into three different age groups. Also includes contact information for field trips to B.C. Hydro facilities.
This site has great amount of information for teachers to use in their classrooms. Search for curriculum ideas, funding sources, resource materials, and more.
Bonneville Power Administration's Resources for Teachers
Includes lessons on energy conservation, energy efficiency, geothermal energy, water and electricity, stream environments and stream health, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and the life cycle of salmon. High school students can conduct an energy audit of their school. (DOE)
- Brain Pop
- Short videos for the classroom! This is a fun and busy Web site that allows teachers to watch up to 3 short videos (3-5 minutes in length) per day free of charge. There is a short quiz after each video for your students. It offers simple and easy to understand explanations of over 50 topics.
Bureau of Land Management "Get Energized"
This interactive site was developed by the Anchorage Field Office's Campbell Creek Science Center to foster greater understanding of energy and the importance of public lands to meeting our nation's energy needs. The program covers a variety of topics related to energy and its development involved review by experts from government, industry, conservation groups, and educational institutions. The site also includes a downloadable educator's guide designed to help middle school educators use the program in their teaching.
Bureau of Land Management: Learning Landscapes for Teachers
This site is full of information for teachers including Hands on the Land, Renewable Energy e-fieldtrip, Adventures in the Past, Classroom Activities, Curriculum Connections, and Teaching Resources.
Center for Energy and Environmental Studies (CEES)
Located at Boston University, CEES is a multi-disciplinary program that offers "education, research, and professional training in the fields of energy and environmental analysis." The CEES Web site provides background information on the program and faculty. Of greatest interest to non-affiliated users is the research section, which contains abstracts and the full text of a number of papers by CEES staff. Also included are abstracts and links to publications written by faculty that are hosted elsewhere.
Center for a New American Dream
Helping Americans change the way they consume to improve quality of life, protect the environment, and promote social justice.
CLIMB - Creative Learning Ideas for Mind and Body
A non-profit educational traveling theatre company that performs plays and classes on topics that effect the environment such as global warming, recycling, wetlands preservation, energy reduction, and barrel burning prevention.
Digital Library for Earth System Education
Presents thousands of reviewed resources on atmospheric science, biology, chemistry, climatology, cryology, ecology, environmental science, forestry, geography, geology, mineralogy & petrology, hydrology, mathematics, natural hazards, ocean sciences, physics, soil science, space science, & more. (NSF)
DOE's Energy Education Resources
- An on-line database of educational resources compiled by the Department of Energy. Arranged by categories and contains hundreds of references. Also available in paper format (a booklet) free of charge from the National Energy Information Center, 202.586.8800, or by e-mail.
- This site has activities for teachers and students. There is a page dedicated to assisting teachers with activities for Earth Day.
- Earth Policy Institute is dedicated to providing a vision of what an environmentally sustainable economy looks like, as well as a roadmap of how to get from here to there.
EE-Link: Environmental Education on the Internet
- A project of the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), this resource was designed to support students, teachers, and professionals that support K-12 environmental education. Browse this site for a wealth of information and links on Environmental Education.
- Bring the Nature Center to your classroom on the internet. New topics for educators every week!
EnergyDirectory.org is the Minnesota Environmental Initiative's free online directory of renewable energy and energy-efficiency. Whether you are a homeowner looking for new appliances, business seeking an energy consultant or an energy company looking for new venders, EnergyDirectory.org is your first, easy-to-use step for meeting your energy-related needs.
- A comprehensive guide covering the history, availability, impacts, technologies, and management of energy resources for grades 6-12.
- ENERGYguide.com is intended to work for you. It offers a unique and growing set of personalized tools that let you know how much various products and services will cost you and how much you might save, how your home or small business compares with similar homes or facilities, and what the environmental impacts are of your actions. Each of these tools is intended to help you make smart energy choices.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network
- Your resource to the Department of Energy's energy efficiency and renewable energy information.
- EnergyNet involves students in energy audits of their school heating and lighting systems, thus leading them into larger scientific questions about energy production and conservation. Students analyze their results, and share their data electronically with other students across Illinois. By the end of the project, participating students will have electronically filed their energy information into a database in Massachusetts, analyzed their findings with engineers at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and notified Governor Edgar about their energy concerns.
Quiz-Tree.com is the place where you will find free quizzes on many subjects, including energy. All quizzes feature animated interface, feedback sounds and other enhancements that make learning more enjoyable. You can use our quizzes not only to test your knowledge, but also to help you prepare for your next exam, or simply to learn something new.
- This is an on-line magazine devoted to energy efficient schools. It includes articles on energy efficiency, minor school retrofits, system conversions, transportation, student activism, energy education, and financing.
Activities for math, science, and language arts are listed here as well as family educational resources.
- Energy Tracks
- Developed for the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, Energy Tracks consists of 30 activity lessons on energy, designed for students with special needs. High-interest activities focus on the use and conservation of energy. The learning packet includes an activity book, a materials kit and an information packet comprised of educational materials from a variety of resources. Students complete hands-on energy-related activities in collaborative learning groups. A description of the material is available here.
EPA's Residential Energy Efficiency Software
- This downloadable program shows effective ways to reduce home energy consumption. Topics include insulation, windows, doors, weather-stripping, and caulking. After you enter information about your home and the energy-saving changes you intend to make, the program uses local utility and climate data to calculate your savings in money, energy, and reduction of pollutants.
A large science and technology information site that offers a large amount of information on anything. They have a good link to energy education that would be useful to your students.
Focus on Energy - Tool Lending Program
- Focus on Energy has many teaching resources available to check out for a period of 28 days or less. These tools include a Data Logger/Monitor, Infrared Thermometer, and Watt Meters. These resources are only available to schools who participate in the Focus on Energy public benefits program. To request equipment, please contact your Focus Energy Advisor. If you aren't sure who your Energy Advisor is, ask your school's facilities or maintenance personnel.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Energy Education Web site provides many educational resources. Their interactive Get Smart About Energy site offers hundreds of lesson plans and activities. They also provide project ideas, student contests, career information, and many other resources for teachers, students, parents, school administrators, home owners, and energy professionals.
Find out what consumers can do to help protect the environment.
The KidWind Project is a team of teachers, students, engineers and practitioners exploring the science behind wind energy in classrooms around the US. Their goal is to introduce as many people as possible to the elegance of wind power through hands-on science activities which are challenging, engaging and teach basic science principles.
Louisiana Energy & Environmental Resource & Information Center
- LEERIC is a state government and university clearinghouse for energy and environmental information. They provide library loans to Louisiana schools, present workshops for teachers and produce educational materials. Their Web site has some classroom activities (like solar cooking), descriptions of materials and workshops available from LEERIC (like Energy Tracks), and links to other resources.
MGE educates customers today to help inform their energy decision making. Visit their Web site to explore energy activities, learn about solar in schools, request resources, and schedule a tour of an electric plant.
Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance
- This site offers information about innovative designs, hydrogen power, fuel cells, and transportation.
This site offers more energy efficient tools and tips for homeowners. It includes a home energy use analyzer, home analyzer fast track, energy calculators, energy university, and an energy library.
NASA Educator Guides offer lessons and activities for learning about aeronautics, clouds, energy, the electromagnetic spectrum, the International Space Station, Mars, microgravity, the moon and the Apollo missions, ocean winds, optics (light and color), planetary geology, rainfall, rockets, sun-earth connections, weather, the Wright brothers, and the brain in space.
NASA Television Education File
- NASA has educational television programs listed. Many of these programs are energy related. To find out what the programs titles, schedule and how you can view them click on the link above.
National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project
- The NEED Project is a network of students, teachers, community organizations, government agencies, and corporations that are dedicated to learning about energy. With membership you can receive their resource kit, participate in trainings and workshops, and more.
National Energy Technology Laboratory
NETL provides a wide range of educational activities and resources for K-12 students and teachers including information on career days, facility tours, and the annual National Science Bowl.
- The National Renewable Energy Lab's Education Office describes various energy education programs they support, like the Junior Solar Sprint and the National Teacher Enhancement Program.
National Wildlife Foundation's Animal Tracks
- Classroom education program with suggestions on workshops, activities, resources, and current event listings. Also includes information about a NWF mailing list.
Provides plans, books, kits, and activities for renewable energy education. Projects are offered free, downloadable do-it-yourself plans, as well as kits that include all the materials for a modest charge. We also sell plans and kits from other vendors. Most appropriate for grades 5-12.
Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an award-winning, interdisciplinary environmental education program for educators working with students in PreK through grade 12. PLT helps students gain awareness and knowledge of the natural and built environment, their place within it, as well as their responsibility for it.
REALMS - Resources that Engage Active Learners in Mathematics and Science
- This directory holds dozens of lesson plans, a few having to do with energy from the Columbia Education Center's Summer Workshop. CEC is a consortium of teacher from 14 western states dedicated to improving the quality of math and science education in the rural United States.
Renewable Energy Information Site
Are you wanting more information on renewable energy? This site is very current and offers good information from solar energy to biomass. Excellent site for high school or middle school students needing to do research on renewable energy.
Looking for the perfect info sheet on clean energy written just for Texas? You're in luck!
Where you can take action to reduce your impact on global warming. Browse the Web site to learn more about climate change, and how you can reduce your carbon dioxide emissions. Or learn about climate-friendly products in our store, the latest science and policy news, and more.
Save Energy with Trees (.pdf)
The Minnesota Department of Commerce Energy Information Center has assembled this web page to inform residential home owners of how to save energy by planting trees! Did you know you can reduce your air conditioning bill by 25%? Visit this Web site to find out more fun facts about how to save energy by planting a tree.
Participate in an educational summer seminar specifically for teachers! Learn about the science and history of heating, cooling and powering our homes with the sun. Participants will build solar cookers, model passive solar homes, solar electric cars/fountains, and conduct energy audits.
This is a solar energy and education program offered within the Wisconsin Public Service Corporation territory. The goal of this program is to install solar-electric systems on high schools and educate students about solar power.
- A Family and Consumer Education focused Web site brought to you by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. You will find interesting facts, games, and fin links about nutrition. Have you ever wondered how many calories there are in a "Big Gulp"?
Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum
- Sun-Earth Day is a national celebration of the Sun, the space around the Earth (geospace), and how all of it affects life on our planet. In classrooms, museums, planetaria, and at NASA centers we plan to have a sensational time sharing stories, images, and activities related to the Sun-Earth connections and the views of the Sun from Earth.
- Sustainable By Design is a small business providing scientific,
design, multimedia, and communications services to the environmental
community, with a focus on the solar energy, architecture, and green
buildings fields. Sustainable By Design has been in business since 1998,
and is located in Seattle, Washington.
We offer a number of shareware design tools (available in the menu in the upper right), and provide consulting services including energy analysis, writing, graphic design, brand development, web design, and software development.
Teaching Climate Change: Lessons from the Past
This site contains materials for teaching about climate change including classroom activities, data sets, and other references.
- Come here for a great introduction to static electricity, as well as other primers, lesson plans, pictures, and videos about electricity.
Union of Concerned Scientists Clean Energy Program
The UCC's Clean Energy Program promotes renewable energy and nuclear power plant safety through a combination of innovative policy analysis and effective regional and national advocacy efforts.
Report of the National Energy Policy Development Group
University of Oregon, Dept. of Environmental Studies
- UO offers a number of courses online. Two offered through the environmental studies department deal with energy, for undergraduates. "Physics of Energy and The Environment" (Physics 161) covers general principles of energy. "Alternative Energy Sources" (Physics 162) covers renewable and alternative forms of energy, and can be taken for credit over the internet!
Water on the Web (WOW) offers unique opportunities for high school and first year college students to learn basic science through hands-on science activities, in the lab and in the field, and by working with state-of-the-art technologies accessible through this free Web site. Lesson plans are available online for students and teachers. WOW is a project of the University of Minnesota, with funding from the National Science Foundation.
Watt Watchers is a free program sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency and is designed to help school districts save energy dollars.
Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education
- Located at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the WCEE is the focal point of environmental education in Wisconsin. Their Web site offers descriptions of programs and course offerings, bibliographies and much more. The center co-sponsors and houses KEEP.
Wisconsin Elementary and Middle School Science Teachers
- The purpose of WEST is to enhance the science education of children, preschool through eighth grade, and to promote public understanding and appreciation of elementary and middle level science education in the state of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers
- With over 20,000 members, WSST promotes supports and improves science education in the state of Wisconsin.
| Classroom Activities and Lesson Plans |
-
Air
Quality Lesson Plans and Data
- The Office of Air Quality at the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, has assembled over two dozen lesson plans on air pollution. Topics covered include acid rain, transportation, indoor air quality and more. For students from kindergarten through 9th grade.
- Lesson plans provide ideas for web-directed research and in-class activities for grades 4-8. Activities include: Garbage Pizza, Waste Watchers, Compost Office, Recycling Rules, Energy to Burn, and Landfill Lounge.
-
- Two teachers at the Levering School in Philadelphia put together an 8th grade classroom project on "electricity from chemistry." Their Web site includes a movie that you can download.
Energy Information Administration, Energy Source Web Quest
Students will learn about energy sources using web-based resources and create PowerPoint presentations to teach other students.
- ERIC
Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education
- ERIC has gathered this database of lesson plans from various
sources. Many are from the Columbia Education Center's Summer
Workshop in 1994. CEC is a consortium of teachers from 14 western
states dedicated to improving the quality of education in the rural,
western, United States, and particularly the quality of math and
science Education. Lesson plans on energy include but are not
limited to:
-
Physics
Lesson Plans, a variety of energy activities for all grade
levels. Examples include:
- Introduction to Electricity, grades K-1, students make a simple circuit.
- Brown Bag Science, grades 1-5, a hands-on investigation on how electricity works.
- Potential & Kinetic Energy, grades 5-6, to help students more fully understand the relationship between Potential and Kinetic energy.
- Roller Coasters in the Classroom, grades 7-12, the construction of a model roller coaster enables better understanding of basic physical laws.
- Other ERIC Activities
- Air Pollution, grades 4-6, to teach students about the problem, its effects on our environment and health and the latest methods designed to combat air pollution.
- Solar Energy Experiment, grade 3-8, to demonstrate that energy from the sun can be collected in many ways.
- Solar Hot Box, grades 5-6, to build a solar hot box in order to test various colors and materials to find the maximum temperature that can be reached.
-
Physics
Lesson Plans, a variety of energy activities for all grade
levels. Examples include:
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy�s (EERE) Energy Education Web site provides many educational resources. Their interactive Get Smart About Energy site offers hundreds of lesson plans and activities. They also provide project ideas, student contests, career information, and many other resources for teachers, students, parents, school administrators, home owners, and energy professionals.
In the Personal Energy Meter activity, students will analyze the amount and cost of energy used for personal day-to-day activities, explore methods for and effects of conserving personal energy, and advocate for better energy conservation among peers and the public.
NationMaster.com, Understanding Energy Concerns
In this lesson, students discuss the rising cost of gasoline and how it impacts people around the world differently. They learn about the gasoline usage and alternate forms of energy used in several countries, and then consider the relationship between people in their country and energy.
Newton's Apple, a collection of various PBS shows that contain teaching ideas.
- Electric Cars, What ever happened to the decades-old idea of an electric car? What are the newest designs for electric cars? What powers an electric car? What are the advantages and disadvantages of an electric car?
- Electricity, Why don't birds get electrocuted when they sit on power lines? What is electricity? How does electricity get from one place to another? What makes electricity so dangerous?
- Oil Spills, What parts of the environment are affected by an oil spill? How does the ecosystem work to help clean up an oil spill? What technology is available to help clean up an oil spill? What can humans do to prevent oil spills?
- Olympic Solar Energy, How is the sun used for power? How does the sun's heat get to the earth through millions of miles of cold space?
- Photosynthesis, How do plants make food?
- Solar Powered Cars, What are the benefits and drawbacks of solar powered cars? Would people save money and energy if more were on the road? Would you want to take a trip across the country in one?
- Sun, How big is the sun, and how far away is it from Earth? What is the sun made of, why is it hot, and will it ever burn up?
- Windsurfing, How can windsurfers reach speeds faster than the wind that powers them? How does a windsurfing board use the wind to move? How does the windsurfer steer with the mast and sail? What other means of transportation could be developed that would harness wind power?
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Agricultural Unit Outlines includes over 80 outlines that may be incorporated for classroom teaching in whole or in part.Where's the Air?, ages 10 and up, created by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, this kit is a fun and effective teaching aid for students to learn how ozone is formed, the difference between good ozone and bad ozone, and how social behavior affects air quality. The kit includes a poster, teacher's activity guide, a CD-ROM, and other supplemental study materials.
- Electricity, Agricultural Power, for older students, 30-45 day unit on electrical power as related to agriculture. Topics include career opportunities, electrical principles and terms, circuits and conductors, wiring, lighting, motors, three-phase power, electrical application, and safety measures.
- Energy Alternatives, for older students, a 10-20 day unit on alternative agricultural energy sources. Topics include career opportunities, solar energy, wind power, plant source fuel, waste material fuel, and heat exchangers.
- Energy Conservation, for older students, a 20-30 day unit on alternative agricultural energy conservation. Topics include career opportunities, energy forms, terminology, insulation values, conservation tillage, and energy conservation plans.
This activity investigates ways in which human modification of the environment has long-term effects; applying information to understand environmental problems.
Roxson Welch, a third grade teacher at Baker Heights Elementary School in Lousiana came up with this activity. Using an umbrella lined with reflective mylar, the class makes a parabolic solar cooker and roasts marshmallows.
- A two-day lesson for grades 5-8 on the energy use of kitchen appliances. Students measure the electricity use of all the gadgets needed to make dinner.
Wisconsin
Links
Links
for Students
Send comments and suggestions to KEEP, energy@uwsp.edu or call 715-346-4770.
Copyright 2001 KEEP
